Stereotypes

Leave a comment Posted on by ojg5046 Stereotypes

This article discusses the strides women have made in leadership positions, and the future progression of women in leadership positions based on research studies. After interveiwing and comparing female leaders to male leaders all over the world, the researchers eventually found that women on average are just as competent, if not slightly more competent, than their male counterparts in leadership positions. Despite these findings, female leadership has actually been decreasing in recent years, just as we have learned in class.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/hbr.org/amp/2019/06/research-women-score-higher-than-men-in-most-leadership-skills

It is interesting to read about the criteria that is neccesary to be considered a good leader, but it also put bias into perspective for me. If we always took into account competency and expertise as the only reasons for hiring or promoting someone, so many people would be in places of power that otherwise would never be able to reach, while some people in power now would never be allowed to manage anyone. What are your preferences for gaging professional competency? Do you beleive that there are any other reasons- based on what we have learned in class- on why women do not get promoted as much as men do?

Leave a comment Posted on by aet5217 Gender, Stereotypes, Women

When Mom’s Zoom Meeting Is the One That Has to Wait

The article generally sums up the experiences of women working from home during the pandemic. It talks about how though in 2020, more women are a part of the workforce, being stuck at home with their children has taken us back more steps than forward in the cause if feminism and equality. The article talks about the experiences of some women who have had to hold off doing their work and attending zoom meetings at home because they, along with their children are all self isolating at home and the women have naturally taken on the nurturing role.

 

The article ties into class themes of how female politicians and females in the workforce in general are seen as the ones who are solely responsible to take care of household work as well as tend to their children because day cares and schools are shut down. Women in the workforce always have to face the dilemma between choosing their careers or choosing a family life if not both, whereas for men, that distinction is a lot clearer and defined. The article reminds me of female political office aspirants who are all asked if they would be able to balance a political career with their family life which men are generally not asked. Though more women are in the workforce now, and more women are starting to get into politics, the coronavirus pandemic seems to have set us back in time with regard to feminism and the struggle after the pandemic might be much worse than it already was. The article makes you think about where all societal problems stem from, and it very simply looks like all these problems start from home. How we treat and respect our peers start from our households and though we may be making social advances in society, no movement seeks to make a difference in the household level.

4 Comments Posted on by srm5803 Appearance, Gender, Men, Stereotypes, Voting, Women

When Mom’s Zoom Meeting Is the One That Has to Wait

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/politics/women-coronavirus-2020.html

Social interaction has been narrowed down to essentially one platform over the course of the past month: zoom. According to the NYTimes article, women who earn a lower salary than their significant others are often also handed domestic work. These adjustments are tolling for all, but added aggravations falling onto a single person causes anxiety and affirm gender roles. For Saba Lurie, the stress became so great “Her bathroom became an emergency office.” Lurie has been tending to her two daughters while her husband continues in his normal routine. As a private psychotherapist, many of her clients have expressed the same sentiment. Prior to the crisis, women spent four hours a day doing unpaid work compared to 2.5 hours for men. This has only worsened with the outbreak. Having childcare has gone out the window for most and is hitting after stinging political defeats for women. The two seemed disconnected, but the representation remains constant; lacking and discouraging. This is a topic we discussed at the very beginning of the semester as we reviewed gender roles. I️  find it disappointing to hear how these issues have been dismissed in the wake of an emergency. While it may not be urgent nor deadly, it is important and changes the trajectory of the lives of countless females and male counterparts.

Leave a comment Posted on by Lauren Saylor Gender, Men, Stereotypes

FDA eases restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men during coronavirus pandemic

The Food and Drug Administration has opened up some previously strict guidelines and now is permitting gay and bisexual men to donate blood. This is due to the oncoming shortage of blood supplies during the pandemic and the FDA wishes to reach out to as many safe, healthy and willing donors as possible. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/04/02/coronavirus-fda-revises-rules-gay-bisexual-men-donating-blood/5114874002/

There are a few guidelines that are much more relaxed now that the pandemic is in full swing. For one, male donors should not donate if they have had anal sex with another man in the last three months, which has been significantly reduced from a full calendar year preciously. This time span was also reduced for women who have has sex with a man who had sex with another man in the last year, which has now also been reduced to three months. 

I am completely amazed that these guidelines have been around since the 1980s AIDs epidemic, and have not gotten changed until now. Still, this change seems temporary, but I feel as if it’s fair to say that if we can accept blood from these individuals now in a time fo need, we should continue to open up the opportunity for them under these relaxed guidelines permanently. I feel as if we changed these rules months ago, even years ago, we would have been in such a blood shortage as we’re in right now. At the time of this implication, the AIDs crisis was at its peak and our medical knowledge of handling the disease was minimal. Now, over 30 years later, we now far more than we did and are closer to finding a cure than ever before. However, I believe that there is still a reason these regulations have been staying around this long. I still link it back to the stereotypes of gay and bisexual men. These men are prejudiced and this is clear by the fact that we are still practicing thee outrageous rules today. 

Personally, I believe that if they’re good enough to help during a crisis, then they are good enough to help always. Of course, we should keep some regulations in place, like the 3-month abstinence minimum to qualify to donate. This is to ensure the safety of those who are receiving the blood. But a full year is ridiculous and now it looks like these men are a convenience. 

1 Comment Posted on by Lauren Saylor African-Americans, Appearance, Men, Race, Stereotypes

For Black Men, Fear That Masks Will Invite Racial Profiling

African American men (and women) are living on edge as many counties and cities across the nation are requiring masks to be worn in public. This is leading to many of them feeling as if they will become harassed or even physically threatened by both the police and citizens. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/coronavirus-masks-racism-african-americans.html?searchResultPosition=4

Many African Americans are afraid to go out in public wearing masks now that the nation’s health officials are strongly recommending states to require face masks to be worn whenever one goes into a store, restaurant or other building. These individuals are afraid because it could draw unnecessary an increasing amount of attention to them. Especially for me, who are already afraid to go out at night because they’re afraid someone will find them threatening or physically endangering. And sadly, not only are African Americans more likely to be profiled for covering their faces, but they also are at a disproportionately higher likelihood of contracting the virus, to begin with. 

I feel like this is horribly true and this says a lot about where the nation stands today. Just as soon as we like to think that we’re making significant progress, we still are having our black communities worry about profiling and racial harassment. To me, this can open a doorway for corrupt/racist individuals (citizens and police alike) to accuse African Americans of doing something illegal just because of the way they’re dressing or the type of mask they have on. Many people across the country are wearing scarfs or bandanas to cover their mouths but that cannot be so easily done for some. Many African Americans are afraid that they will be mistaken for a gang member or a criminal and will be treated poorly or even not allowed to enter a store. I never would have thought to look through the lens of race when it comes to COVID-19, but this sadly is turning into an excuse to revert back to old ways and find excuses to discriminate rather than band together and get through it as a nation. 

3 Comments Posted on by srm5803 Appearance, Gender, Stereotypes, Women

I Spent Two Years Trying to Fix the Gender Imbalance in My Stories

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/02/i-spent-two-years-trying-to-fix-the-gender-imbalance-in-my-stories/552404/]

Yong is a reporter who, when reviewing her articles, found she interviews and covers men as sources for stories significantly more than women. The issue is not a lack of credibility or knowledge by women, but gender bias. This is an example of how women are overlooked for the same work as male counterparts. Specifically, in science, women face a barrier men do not have to simply because of their gender. Yong went forward intentionally balancing men and women the same as sources after the run-in she opened with. She held herself accountable with a spreadsheet, which I think is an amazing, simple idea. She found she needed to quote more women to get a better balance. She suspects the reason is that women assume they are not the right fit.

As a woman, this story interested me from the getgo. Too often, men are perceived as more knowledgable or credible in all fields.  What I took away is how it only takes a little bit more effort to create this balance, literally. Yong said she found herself only doing 15 minutes more worth of sourcing per piece. That was encouraging in the sense that it proves this is not impossible to do. I think it would be interesting to conduct the same study on myself.

1 Comment Posted on by srm5803 African-Americans, Gender, Race, Stereotypes, Women

In a Field Dominated by Men, She’s in Charge

  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/business/women-electricians.html?searchResultPosition=1

This New York Times article by Kerry Hannon profiles a woman by the name of Tonya Hicks. Hicks is an electrician and runs her own growing business. She always loved working on cars as a kid and began learning about mechanics from early on. Her mom was against her future career plans when she was a little girl. Following her mother’s pushback came obstacles including discrimination, sexual harassment and being a black woman in an industry of males. Hicks explains later in the article how dropped out of college to pursue an apprenticeship program in journeyman electrician. She continued to work at car plants and steel mills for up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. She face a lot of adversity from co-workers who undermined her because of her gender. A co-worker urged her to start her own business. She used her personal savings to pursue the endeavor.

Her business is now international and empowers other women in the field to come alongside her.

She now uses her platform to troubleshoot other women from experiencing the same hardships she did such as sexual assault. The article ends with an inspiring quote that reads ‘ “Being a boss is giving other people an opportunity to make money and to help them grow,” she said. “Not until you are building up another person are you a true leader.” ‘

1 Comment Posted on by aet5217 Appearance, Gender, Stereotypes, Women

THE ELECTABLE FEMALE CANDIDATE

This article reflects the American expectation of a perfectly ‘electable female candidate’. Though the tone of the article is sarcastic, it perfectly reflects the expectation American society has of every female politician and presidential candidate. In class we discussed how the chances of a woman running for political office is much lesser than a male candidate, because the woman always sees herself as less qualified to run, as compared to men. The article brings in various aspects of our expectation of a female candidate, and how unrealistic they are. Americans pretty much require a woman to be good at everything to be considered ‘electable’ and the article denounces the excuse that Americans use to say that they are ready for a female president but none of the candidates are the right ones. The truth is, society expects much more out of a female candidate, than they do of male candidates. If a female candidate is seen as a regular human being, it pretty much makes her  unqualified to be electable. This also ties into our discussion in class about how women are continuously expected to be dressed ‘professional’ at all times, but male politicians, including presidents and presidential candidates are frequently seen in jeans or basketball shorts, in casual settings. Every aspect that the article seems to talk about talks about how if a woman has to be seen as an ‘electable candidate’, she has to check all the boxes of being the perfect woman and the perfect political candidate. For example, the article says she has to implement health care but fund it all by herself by holding a gluten-free bake sale, showing how we expect her to fit the stereotypical working mom.

 

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/16/the-electable-female-candidate

Leave a comment Posted on by srm5803 Appearance, Gender, Stereotypes, Women

Women-Powered Weddings on Rise

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/fashion/weddings/women-wedding-vendors.html?searchResultPosition=1

This New York Times article by Alyson Krueger gives a glimpse into the ways in which the world is making a feasible impact on society’s posture towards gender equality through something everybody loves: love. Engaged couples have begun working to implement socially conscious weddings by supporting local, women-owned businesses. Vendors a key part of the wedding planning process. With their big day insight, couples want businesses that they can trust and align with. This article features a couple who has one requirement: “the company must be woman-owned.” Their reason was that they saw a passion in freelance woman that was unmatched. Their wedding will take place at a female-owned farm and guests will stay at a boutique hotel launched by a Belgian woman. The idea stems from the reality that due to high demand, couples may now choose companies based on their origins and ownership. This is a unique clientele that has the power to select whom they support regardless of their historical success or lack thereof. A quote from the couple feature stated “And if you are going to spend money, I feel it’s important to spend money with the community and people who don’t have as many opportunities.” 

This story is a phenomenal example of how decisions are made on the individual level and have a domino effect on all other levels. This is how citizens express their beliefs and positions on politics; in day to day life. I found the article to be both encouraging and thought-provoking. It was enjoyable and interesting to read while simultaneously showing the depth and importance our decisions have.

Leave a comment Posted on by ojg5046 Media, Stereotypes

The surreal lives of 2020 campaign spouses: What happens when your loved one wants to be president

This article explains the roles that spouses play in the presidential race. The interest in spouses and family members of candidates has grown recently because of the rise in heterosexual female candidates, which has resulted in male spouses who may become the first man in American history to be the president’s spouse. It can also be argued that the interest in families of potential candidates has grown recently because the current president has involved his own family so much in his politics during his term. It is fair to assume that the next president may do the same, and therefore when we elect the next president, we should take into account their families, who will also be involved in the white house.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/the-surreal-lives-of-2020-campaign-spouses-what-happens-when-your-loved-one-wants-to-be-president/2020/01/08/b3e57028-309d-11ea-a053-dc6d944ba776_story.html

I liked that the article included important aspects of being a supportive spouse to a candidate, including remaining professional in the eyes of the media, being their spouse’s mouthpiece during events that they cannot attend, and running family members while their spouse becomes busy with touring the country and making appearances. It was also interesting that the article included stories from current spouses of candidates and their experiences in the election. The article also included the female spouses expectations compared to their male counterparts, and it was interesting to see how women are expected to be good wives and mothers while the expectations for make spouses are much lower.